Extramural Consultants

Extramural consultants are required for candidates for initial appointment or promotion to Associate or Full Professor on the Tenure, Clinician-Educator, and Research tracks. The purpose of the consultants is to solicit unbiased, impartial assessments of the candidate’s scholarship, reputation, and standing from experts in their specific field. The process is highly confidential.

Policy

Guidelines for Selection of External Consultants

Key Info

The University Provost office defines the guidelines for the Extramural Consultant process for all UPENN schools.
Extramural Consultant nominations must be approved by the School Dean (or designee) before solicitation of approved consultants.
Consultants are expected to be the foremost experts in the candidate’s field and come from the leading programs at institutions in the United States and other nations.
In PSOM, the Committee on Appointments and Promotions (COAP) oversees the solicitation process and only they may contact Consultants. Candidates and Department leadership may have no contact with proposed consultants.

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Preparation and Planning

The Consultant List consists of 3 Sections:

Section 1: Department Leadership nominates eight (8) to eleven (11) primary consultants
Section 2: Department Leadership nominates four (4) alternates who will be contacted only as needed due to lack of responses from primary proposals.
Section 3: Candidate nominates one (1) to three (3) consultants

Consultants will be asked the following:

Evaluate the impact and trajectory of the candidate's scholarly achievements and their importance within the general discipline
Comment on the candidate's most distinctive contributions to their discipline.
Evaluate the candidate's likelihood of achieving a similar faculty position and rank at the leading institutions in this discipline with which you are familiar.
Provide any information or insight that you have on the candidate’s skill and effectiveness as a teacher, mentor, and communicator.
Provide any additional insights that may be helpful in determining whether or not to recommend promotion/appointment to (Associate Professor/Professor), including intellectual and leadership contributions through professional service.

Consultants will receive the following reference materials from the candidate:

CV & Grants pages
- For promotion, FEDS CV & Grants must be used
- For external appointments, candidate’s application CV may be used
Personal Statement
3-4 article reprints representative of the candidate’s body of work

List Requirements
Refer to the Guidelines for Selection of External Consultants for a detailed breakdown of who is eligible to be a consultant. Each consultant must meet all requirements as stated in the guidelines. The quick guide below should not be considered standalone guidance.
Pre-qualified Institutions List	Consultant nominations from the Pre-qualified Institutions List approved by the PSOM Executive Vice Dean and Dean do not require qualifications statements to defend the proposal. The most appropriate leaders should be proposed regardless of inclusion on this list.
All Proposals (Candidate List, Department List, and Department Alternate List)	Must be rank of Full Professor. Exception - up to 3 Associate Professors permitted for Associate Professor candidates
	Max of 2 from the same university unless in different schools/departments
	Max of 2 from non-academic institutions
	Max of 2 emeritus professors – must still be active
	No current Penn faculty. Former Penn faculty members must have left the university at least 5 years ago
	No faculty from the candidate’s current institution
Candidate Selection (1 - 3)	Max of 2 thesis advisors, colleagues, co-authors or collaborators
Department Selection Primary List (8 - 11) Alternate List (Minimum 4)	No known current or former advisors, mentors, or supervisors. Max of 2 co-authors/direct associations

Process Overview

Step 1 – List creation and approval

Candidate and Chair/Chief and other members of department leadership work with department Faculty Coordinator to nominate, vet, and select Consultants.
Final list as determined by department leadership is submitted by Faculty Coordinator to PSOM OAA for review. Final approval of list is awarded by the Dean (or Dean’s designee).

Step 2* - Submission of Candidate’s Reference Packet – see above for reference packet materials.

*This is the LAST STEP in which the Department is involved. Remaining step is facilitated by PSOM COAP.

Step 3 – Solicitation and collection of responses by PSOM COAP

A minimum of six (6) responses from the Department List must be received before a dossier can move forward to the School. The Office of Academic Affairs will contact the department Faculty Coordinator at that time.
PSOM COAP may request additional lists as needed to reach minimum.